Recreation Element

Please Note: This Executive Summary of the Recreation Element of the General Plan, published by the City of Glendale, Planning Department in April, 1996, is provided only as a reference for the citizens of Glendale and the Internet community. For a complete copy of the General Plan or the Recreation Element, please contact the Community Planning Department at (818) 548-2140.

1.1 Introduction

The current deficiency of park land is the cumulative result of residential growth without a corresponding provision of park land throughout the 90 year history of the city. This deficit can not be corrected quickly. The Recreation Element represents a significant step toward assuring the preservation of Glendale's quality of life by setting out a framework of park needs for residential development and for the acquisition and development of the community's recreational resources. Implementation requires a significant commitment of human and financial resources. Community leaders will need to step forward with a strong voice to advocate on behalf of Element implementation. Financial resources must be appropriated and invested in the community's recreation infrastructure to keep pace with community growth and diversity.

Glendale has a fiscally conservative reputation. It is precisely for this reason that the city has remained financial stable during difficult economic times. Ironically, it is this same fiscally conservative attitude that has led to an under investment in the recreational infrastructure of the city. The problem was compounded during strong economic periods when property values and construction costs escalated uncontrollably driven by inflation and market demand. Had the city aggressively invested in park land earlier, costs would have been less.

1.2 Description and Purpose

California State law requires each city to prepare a Comprehensive General Plan to address community policies and objectives for growth and development. The City of Glendale's General Plan establishes the policies and procedures for the use and protection of resources to meet community needs. Glendale's General Plan contains nine sections. These sections, called elements, are published separately. They address the seven topics (land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise and safety) mandated by state law and four additional topics ( air quality, community facilities, recreation and historic preservation) recommended, but not required, by state law. Glendale's first Recreation Element was prepared in 1972 as the Open Space, Conservation and Recreation Element. The Recreation Element addresses planning for parks, recreational land, and associated improvements. It provides a broad overview of existing conditions, community needs, issues and opportunities and suggests a comprehensive approach for the development and management of public recreational resources.

1.3 Format of the Recreation Element

The Recreation Element is a component of Glendale's General Plan and consists of tables, maps and accompanying text. The text is organized to recognize the interrelationships among issues and to respond directly to the problems facing the city's decision-makers. The text supports the mission of the city's Strategic Plan and provides a framework to meet the present and future recreation needs of Glendale.

This document is consistent with the goals of the Greater Downtown Strategic Plan, the Youth Coalition, and the Neighborhood Task Force's Model Neighborhood Program. The Element has served as a guide to recreational planning in these individual plans and is designed to complement and support the implementation of them.

• Chapter 3 contains the goals, objectives and policies that will guide the city's actions during the life of the Element. The goals, objectives and policies can be considered to be the heart of the Element. In following these directives, the city will chart the development and acquisition of parks and other recreation facilities which will shape the future character of Glendale.
  
  
• Chapter 4 provides an inventory of existing recreational and specialized facilities within the City of Glendale. The inventory includes a definition of park classifications, a brief description of each park site and identification of park amenities. In addition to public parks, this chapter identifies open space resources, public school facilities, private recreation opportunities and major recreation opportunities within the region. The classification system conforms to the standards established by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA).
  
  
• Chapter 5 addresses park assessment standards and establishes 11 Recreation Planning Areas. These areas were designed to follow existing census tracts and incorporate both natural and man made geographical boundaries.
  
  
• Chapter 6 contains the demand and needs assessment for recreation facilities in the City of Glendale. Demand is measured by analyzing the demographic and physical characteristics of a population area and determining what recreation facilities are required to satisfy this demand. The NRPA standards provide one measure of demand that is easily related to a geographic area in terms of acres of park land per 1000 residents. As an additional indicator of demand, the Planning Department conducted a comprehensive public outreach effort to gather public input on the opinions, attitudes, and desires of the general public. This included:
  
  
  • 1) Two public workshops;
  • 2) A telephone survey of over 1000 households;
  • 3) A survey sent to over 100 organizations; and,
  • 4) On-going participation from both the Planning Commission and Parks Recreation and Community Services Commission.

    Demand and need can be viewed as complementary. Survey data tells us that multiple family residential neighborhoods have a high demand for recreation facilities, which translates into an increased need for facilities. Demand is an analysis of the amount or quantity of recreation facilities required to serve a population. Need for recreation facilities can be measured by a comparison of the existing supply of recreation facilities to the projected demand. Thus an area with a high demand for recreation facilities that is well served by surrounding parks may have little need for additional recreation facilities.

  
  
• Chapter 7 presents implementation tools and strategies that are available for the acquisition and funding of park land. Included in this chapter is a discussion of options that can augment the existing supply of park land through shared use concepts. Rather than recommending a preferred strategy it is suggested that a variety of funding and acquisition options be used on a consistent basis insuring that their is a mechanism to provide for the continued acquisition of park land. This Chapter recognizes that park deficits have existed in Glendale for many years and that a long term commitment of both fiscal and staff resources is necessary in order to meet recreation needs.

1.4 Recreation Mandates and Opportunities

The primary objective of a Recreation Element is to develop a comprehensive plan for the identification of park and recreational needs, the management of existing recreational resources and the development of additional facilities to meet identified needs. This encourages public agencies to inventory their recreational resources and develop policies for responsible utilization and stewardship. Although the Recreation Element is directed primarily at resources and management policies within the City of Glendale, it provides the opportunity to assess the available resources within a regional context. It develops policies and park land acquisition strategies. These are directed toward the development of additional recreational facilities. Policies and park land acquisition tools also address achieving equilibrium between economic development and providing for the community's recreational needs.

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has developed area standards which have been traditionally applied to assess demand for park land in cities. The most recent NRPA standards published in 1979 recommended a range of 6 to 10.5 acres of developed park land per every 1000 residents. In addition to the area standards, the NRPA has established a classification system for the type of park (i.e. neighborhood or community) and a recommended service radius for these facilities.

These standards have been adopted by most cities across the United States and are designed to allow for an equitable distribution of park resources. These standards are easy to apply and have been tested in the courts. The minimum recommended standard for an urban area is 6 acres per 1000 residents. Applying this minimum to Glendale would require a total of roughly 1100 acres of developed park land. Glendale presently has approximately 284 acres of developed park land which indicates that the city has a deficit of approximately 800 acres of developed park land.

Glendale refines this standard of 6 acres per 1000 residents by dividing this acreage into neighborhood parks and community parks. A neighborhood park is generally anywhere from 2 to 10 acres in size, serves a population within a one-half mile radius, and should be centrally located within the neighborhood it serves. Neighborhood parks should be developed at a minimum of 1 acre per every 1000 residents. Community parks are generally 10 to 30 acres in size and tend to be utilized on a city-wide basis. The minimum population service standard for community parks is 5 acres of park land per 1000 residents. The greatest difference between neighborhood parks and community parks is that neighborhood parks are designed to serve a pedestrian population while a community park attracts users from all over the city.

Additional park classifications used in Glendale are community centers, mini-parks, and specialized facilities. Mini-parks have recently been developed in the more dense multiple family neighborhoods as a way to provide immediate recreation opportunities in these areas that lack neighborhood parks. Specialized facilities such as the Scholl Canyon athletic fields provide for sports fields that have been previously sited at community parks. These specialized facilities are designed to lessen the demand for athletic fields at the community parks and may be sited at existing parks or at a specialized facility such as the Scholl Canyon athletic facility. Community centers are also special use facilities that often cater to seniors and offer indoor space for community activities such as recreational fitness classes.

1.5 Recreation Findings

Glendale has an extreme deficit of both community and neighborhood park facilities. At the city-wide level, community parks are often overcrowded and, therefore, many sports organizations do not have adequate availability to practice or game fields. This has forced many organizations to practice later into the evening causing increased wear on the existing fields. In the southern portion of Glendale there is a shortage of both community park and neighborhood park facilities. The neighborhood park shortage is extreme and has been exacerbated by the increase in residential density in many of its neighborhoods.

If park facilities were considered an essential supporting infrastructure in the same sense as either sewer or roadway systems, it would be clear that many of the multiple family neighborhoods in southern Glendale are completely over the carrying capacity of the existing parks. Following this argument to its logical conclusion, based on existing neighborhood park supply, it would be difficult to permit any additional residential development. However, presently there is no mechanism to insure that the acquisition and development of new park land keeps pace with the rapid growth of southern Glendale.

Both a telephone survey and a written survey have indicated that Glendale has an extreme shortage of athletic fields which are traditionally located in community parks. These surveys also point out that there is a great need for additional neighborhood park facilities in the southern portion of the city. Many of the neighborhoods in southern Glendale have little or no park space in their immediate vicinity. On a positive note, the surveys indicate that the facilities that do exist are rated highly for both appearance and use.

In order to meet the minimum National Recreation and Park Association standards would require the city to develop approximately 800 additional acres of park land. This additional park land would require a large commitment of financial resources that are not presently available. The majority of the city is developed and the creation of any additional park sites may require the relocation of existing residents and businesses. Recognizing that Glendale is a "built-out" city, with little available land for additional parks, the element suggests alternative methods to meet recreational needs. These include the opportunity for the shared use of public school sites through joint partnerships between the Glendale Unified School District and the city.